ABSTRACT
A wide variety of psychosocial variables implicated in creating, maintaining, or increasing sex differences in cognitive abilities were presented in chapter 6. The belief that psychosocial variables are (primarily) responsible for the differences in the lives of males and females has been referred to as the "nurture assumption" (Harris, 1998b). Part of the appeal of assuming that differences in sex roles are caused by variables near the nurture end of the nature-nurture continuum is that nurture variables are rooted in societal practices and societies can change. Would females and males become more similar if they were treated the same way? For example, parents who spank their son for some misbehavior but send their daughter to her room without supper for the same misbehavior are sending a strong sex role stereotypic message to all of the members of the household-even when the behavior is the same, girls and boys are treated differently. There are different expectations for girls and boys, different beliefs about what is appropriate, and different consequences for the same actions. This message is reinforced with viewing tens of thousands of hours of television shows, seen over many years, that depict sex-typed characters and themes. Outside the home, children encounter teachers who pay attention to girls and boys for different reasons and peers who enforce different rules for girls and boys. Evidence of sex role stereotypes can be found throughout the life span. But how do sex role stereotypes arise? Why do they per-
sist if they are arbitrarily created by the members of society? How easily or quickly could they be changed? What would a society be like if the lives of women and men became more similar? Many theorists have used questions like these as a starting point for theories that can help us to understand, predict, and perhaps even manipulate those psychosocial variables that are implicated in cognitive sex differences.
